1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a folding baby carriage folded so as to be reduced in dimension in the width direction, and more particularly, to a folding baby carriage in which a rear portion of a seating surface is prevented from being dented.
2. Description of the Background Art
FIGS. 1 and 2 show a baby carriage disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 8-58599. FIG. 1 is an opened state of the baby carriage and FIG. 2 is a folded state of the baby carriage. As can be clear when FIG. 1 is compared with FIG. 2, when the baby carriage 1 is folded, four wheels 4 and 6 approach back and forth and from side to side.
The illustrated baby carriage 1 comprises a body 2 mainly constituted by bar-shaped members, and a seat hammock 3 mounted on the body 2 to form a seat. The baby carriage body 2 comprises a pair of front legs 5 having front wheels 4, a pair of rear legs 7 having rear wheels 6, a pair of handrail members 8 positioned above both sides of the seating surface, a pair of inverting members 9 turnably mounted on rear legs 7, and a push bar 10 having an inverted U-shaped configuration, connected to rear end portions of the pair of handrail members 8 and extending upward.
The push bar 10 has a pair of side vertical bars 11 linearly extending in the vertical direction so as to be parallel to each other, and an upper connection member 12 connecting upper ends of the pair of side vertical bars 11. The upper connection member 12 has a pair of rotating members 12a provided so as to receive the side vertical bars 11 and rotate around the side vertical bars 11, and a center member 12b connecting the pair of rotating members 12a. The rotating member 12a and the center member 12b are connected so as to be allowed to be bent as shown in FIG. 2.
A lower frame structure positioned above the four wheels 4 and 6 and forming a seating surface portion of a seat is folded so that the four wheels 4 and 6 may approach back and forth and from side to side. The inverted U-shaped push bar 10 extending to rise upward from both sides of the seating surface portion is bent forward by protruding the center member 12b forward to reduce the dimension in the width direction, in the folded state shown in FIG. 2.
The seat hammock 3 has a seat portion 3a and a backrest portion 3b. Normally, the seat hammock 3 is made of a sewed cloth and has a core inside.
FIG. 3 is a top view showing the seat portion 3a of the seat hammock 3. The body 2 of the baby carriage comprises a pair of seating surface supporting side bars 13 and 14 extending back and forth along both sides of a lower surface of the seat portion in order to support the seat portion 3a of the seat hammock 3 from beneath. As the baby carriage 1 is folded, the pair of seating surface supporting side bars 13 and 14 approach each other.
In order to implement the above folding operation, the front portions of the pair of seating surface supporting side bars 13 and 14 are connected by a bending link member 15 and rear portions are connected by a flexible belt 16. In the opened state of the baby carriage 1, the bending link member 15 takes a linear state to support the front portion of the seat portion 3a from beneath. In the meantime, in the folded state of the baby carriage 1, the bending link member 15 is bent upward so that the pair of seating surface supporting side bars 13 and 14 approach each other.
In the opened state of the baby carriage 1, the belt 16 is pulled by the pair of seating surface supporting side bars 13 and 14 and becomes in a tight state to support the rear portion of the seat portion 31 from beneath. In the meantime, in the folded state of the baby carriage 1, since the pair of seating surface supporting side bars 13 and 14 approach each other, the belt 16 becomes in a loose state.
According to the baby carriage disclosed in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 8-58599, the rear portion of the seat portion 3a of the seat hammock 3 is supported by the flexible belt 16. When a child is seated in the seat and weighs the rear portion of the seat portion 3a, the belt 16 is curved downward by the weight.
Therefore, while the baby carriage is used, the rear portion of the seat portion 3a is dented. As a result, the posture of the child cannot be appropriately maintained and a spine could be awkwardly bent or an abdomen could be pressed.